Wild Foods Day

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By Diane Forrest

Many years ago you couldn't run down to the grocery store or restaurant and fill your kitchen or stomach with food.  People would have to go to the woods and lakes for their meals.   This was the hunter and gatherer time period.  These days’ people mostly hunt and gather for enjoyment.  You can tell when hunting season starts because my local newspaper starts publishing pictures of hunters with their game.  My stepson belongs to a hunting club, and when he is home from work, he will take his family to the camp and spend time in the woods hunting for deer to stock his freezer with.  He and his wife hunt for sport, not out of necessity as in the old days.

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Not only are you able to hunt for meat, but you can also find other food in the wild, such as roots and berries, mushrooms and greens.   If you want to go grocery shopping in nature, the first thing you need to know is what is edible, and what is not.  The ability of identifying plants and berries is becoming a lost art much like many other talents passed down from older generations.  Before gobbling up some leaves I would suggest you invest in a book to be able to identify these plants.  Organizations such as the Boys and Girl scouts of America teach how to identify safe plants, you can also check with your local forestry commission.

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Learning about what nature provides is very satisfying and could possibly help you survive if you are ever lost or trapped in nature.  Plants are also useful with medicinal care, and made me think of this story.

I have an earache:

• 2000 B.C. - Here, eat this root.
• 1000 A.D. - That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
• 1850 A.D. - That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
• 1940 A.D. - That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
• 1985 A.D. - That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.
• 2000 A.D. - That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root.

I was recently watching a segment of Blue Ribbon Hunter.  It's a little video article that is published on yahoo.com every week or so where the host visits different festivals or restaurants across the country.  This episode was about the road kill festival.  The food prepared there was from critters people had hit with their car.  Click here to see the different foods they prepared:

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http://screen.yahoo.com/the-roadkill-cook-off-30784538.html;_ylt=AnnneErsSKm8UKGIUOjJNTRZc0Iv;_ylu=X3oDMTJkbWozbmJ0BG1pdANVUFAgUmVsYXRlZCBWaWRlbzIgV2l0aCBWaWV3IENvdW50cwRwa2cDaWQtMzA3ODQ1MzgEcG9zAzYEc2VjA3ZjX25hdgR2ZXID;_ylg=X3oDMTFoOTlpZTNlBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDdmlkLWdhbGxlcnk-;_ylv=3

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Today is Wild Foods Day.  Why not spend the day hunting and gathering in the woods or waters in your area.  You will be able to find some food and it will be a lot stressful than fighting the crowds and standing in line at the grocery store, and the foods will be preservative free.

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Vitamin C Day

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By Diane Forrest, RN

It was in 1984 when I first became introduced to Vitamin C.  I was never much of a fan of vitamins.  When I was younger my mother used to give me these multivitamins, not the good chewable Flintstone vitamins, but these little orange multivitamins from Upjohn.  It tasted like cod liver oil (or what I imagine cod liver oil would taste like) and every morning when she gave one to me, I would make a trip to the bathroom and flush it.  However, when I was away from home, going to college I had started to develop that "you are fixing to get a cold" feeling.  You know the one, scratchy throat, watery eyes, and sniffles.  I was at the home of my future mother in law, who happened to also work part time as a pharmacist assistant, and she gave me some Vitamin C.  She instructed me to take one a day until the cold symptoms passed.  I followed her instructions, and the full blown cold never occurred, and I have been a believer ever since.

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Many sources disprove the benefits of Vitamin C and the common cold, but I have always had positive results when using it.  Vitamin C is also beneficial with other health problems.  Scurvy, a disease caused by the depletion of Vitamin C, has been around for centuries.  In 400 B.C Hippocrates wrote about it.  It mainly affected travelers on the seas, because do to their long voyages; they were not able to transport fruits and vegetables without them spoiling.  Scurvy was not related to vitamin C deficiency until 1932.  Other benefits of Vitamin C include, but are not fully supported, treatment of pneumonia, lowering uric acid levels for the treatment of gout, and decreasing the chance of strokes.

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When I take Vitamin C, I normally take 1000 milligrams in the morning and at night, however consult your doctor for your personal dosage.  Supplements are a good way to monitor your intake; however Vitamin C is found naturally in Citrus fruits, dark green leafy vegetables and even small amounts occurring in meat and dairy.

Plant source	Amount (mg / 100g)
Kakadu plum	1000-5300
Camu Camu	2800
Acerola	1677]
Seabuckthorn	695
Mica Muro	500
Indian gooseberry	445
Rose hip	426
Baobab	400
Chili pepper (green)	244
Guava (common, raw)	228.3
Blackcurrant	200
Red pepper	190
Chili pepper (red)	144
Parsley	130
Kiwifruit	90
Broccoli	90
Loganberry	80
Redcurrant	80
Brussels sprouts	80
Wolfberry (Goji)	73 †
Lychee	70
Persimmon (native, raw)	66.0
Cloudberry	60
Elderberry	60
Papaya	60
Strawberry	60
Orange	50
Kale	41
Lemon	40
Melon, cantaloupe	40
Cauliflower	40
Garlic	31
Grapefruit	30
Raspberry	30
Tangerine	30
Mandarin orange	30
Passion fruit	30
Spinach	30
Cabbage raw green	30
Lime	30
Mango	28
Blackberry	21
Potato	20
Melon, honeydew	20
Tomato, red	13.7
Cranberry	13
Tomato	10
Blueberry	10
Pineapple	10
Pawpaw	10
Grape	10
Apricot	10
Plum	10
Watermelon	10
Banana	9
Carrot	9
Avocado	8
Crabapple	8
Persimmon (Japanese, fresh)	7.5
Onion	7.4
Cherry	7
Peach	7
Apple	6
Asparagus	6
Horned melon	5.3
Beetroot	5
Chokecherry	5
Pear	4
Lettuce	4
Cucumber	3
Eggplant	2
Raisin	2
Fig	2
Bilberry	1
Medlar	0.3

Today is Vitamin C Day, a great way to start the day is with a nice ice cold glass of orange juice!  It tastes good, and is good for you.

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For more information about Vitamin C, click here: http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/the-benefits-of-vitamin-c